Wrapper-sealing machine.



P. R. GO'LVIN.

WRAPPER SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 7, 1912.

hm Wm P I Mk M .WMLPL P. R. GOLVIN.

WRAPPER SEALING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 1, 1912.

Patented June 9, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PAUL R. COLVIN, OF J'ANESVILLE, WISCONSIN.

WRAPPER-SEALING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1914.

Application filed December 7, 1912. Serial No. 735,424.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PAUL R. CoLvIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at J anesville, county of Rock, and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrapper-Sealing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in. general to a wrapper sealing machine but is designed more particularly to seal the folded or overlapped surfaces of parafiin wrappers used upon bread, cake, or other bakery roducts.

The principal object of t e invention is to provide a machine of the above character which will effectively heat the wrapper so as to melt the parafiin or other adhesive material contained therein and then efi'ectively hold the heated surfaces together while the adhesive is cooling.

Another object of the invention is to construct a machine which is adjustable where- .)y bread or other bakery products of unequal dimensions may be sealed in one machine.

Still further objects of the invention reside in the novel means for accomplishing such adjustment without impairing the eiiiciency of the machine.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved device; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1. I

Referring now more particularly to the drawings it may be stated that the machine is divided into three main parts, namely, the heating member, the cooling member and a two-part frame upon which parts of both said heating and cooling members are mounted. V In'the preferred form of construction the device consists of two frame members 7 and 8 which are arranged in parallel alinement. Secured tothese two frame members is the heatin member which is divided into substantia 1y two main parts as follows. To the frame 7 is secured a suitable piece of metal which extends vertically forming an outside wall 9 Whichj-ijs-bentinwardly ormi the top 10, then downwardly parallel wit the section of the bottom 12. The posts 13 and- 141 are secured to the frame 7 and extend vertically between the walls 9 and 11 thereby serving as supports for such walls and to the post 14 the end plate 15 is secured, while to the post 13 the end plate 16 is secured. The frame 8 carries the other part of the heating member consisting of the outside wall 9*}, top 10*, inside wall 11" and bottom 12. Posts 13 and 14; are secured to the side frame 8 and to the post 14 the end plate 15* is secured which is of sufficient length to overlie the end of the plate 15 so that the plates 15 and 15 have asliding engagement. The end plate. 16 is secured to the post 13 and is similar to the plate 16. Bottom plates 17 and 17 are secured to the frames 7 and 8, respectively, and overlie each other. A heating plate 18 is provided with inturned ends 19 and the bottom sections 12 and 12 are partially confined between the inturned ends 19 and the under surface of the heating plate 18. The plate 18 has a pair of arms 20 depending therefrom and at each end thereof. Nuts 21 and 21 are secured to the posts 13 and 13" and similar nuts 22 and 22 are secured to the posts 14 and 14* and such posts are suitably apertured adjacent the openings in the nuts to permit the passage of threaded bolts therethrough.

Bolts 23 and 23 having suitable hand wheels 24 thereon for the turnin of the same, are provided with threads orlcom plementary engagement with the threads on the nuts 22 and 22 and the threads on each bolt are divided into two sections reversely arranged so that in turning the bolt the nuts will travel in opposite directions. It is desired to hold the heatin plate 18 in a central position relating to t e side walls 11 and 11 and to this end I place pins 25 in the bolts 23 and 23, which extend between the depending fingers 20 formed on the heating plate 18, thus holding the heating plate in a central position irrespective of the movement of the side walls. End plates 26 and 26 similar to the end plates 16 and 16 are secured to the posts 14and 14* and are provided'with overlapping surfaces 28 and 28. The end plates 16 and 16 are provided with similar overlapping surfaces 27 and 27. These overlappin'gfsurfaces on both sets of plates are "provided with suitable slots 29,

through which bolts 30 and wing nuts 31, threaded on said bolts 30, serve as clamps to hold the end plates in adjusted position.

Vertical supports 32, 32 33- and 33 are secured to the base boards 7 and 8, preferably arranged in pairs and oppositely disposed. To the supports 32 and 32 the horizontal supports 34 and 34" are secured and the inwardly projecting ends of which overlap each other. These horizontal supports are each provided with slots 35 through which the bolt 36 extends and a wing nut 37 having a threaded engagement with the bolt serves to lock said supports in fixed position. Horizontal supports 38 and 38 are secured to the vertical supports 33 and 33*, respectively and are also provided with slots 35 through which the bolt 36 extends with the wing nut 37 having a threadedengagement therewith.

The cooling member consists of a plurality of corrugated sections, preferably wood, herein shown as consisting of six individual sections arranged in parallel alinement. The side sections 39 and 39 are secured to the vertical supports 32, 33, 32 and 33, respectively, and are provided with a plurality of longitudinal ribs 40, thereby providing air spaces 41 between adjacent ribs. Corrugated sections 42 and 43 are secured to the horizontal supports34 and 38 and similar corrugated. sections 44 and 46 are secured to the horizontal supports 34 and 38 The tops of the corrugations on the strips 42, 43, 44 and 45 preferably lie in the same plane,

or substantially flush with the topsurface of the heating plate 18, while the ends of thecorrugations or ribs on the side pieces 39 and 39 lie in substantially the same plane or flush with the outer surfaces of the side walls 11 and 11 ,A series of apertures 46' and 46* are formed in the ends 10 andlO. The guide for directing the article to be sealed into the heating member is also made adjustable and consists of an outwardly flaring side wall 47 having a horizontal extension 48 which is secured to the support 13. A outwardly flaring side plate 47* is provided with a horizontal section 48 and one portion of the guide herein shown as the horizontal section 48 carries an intermediate plate 49 which extends beneath the horizontal plate 48 so that the margin between the'plates 48 and 48 is spanned by the intermediate plate 49.

A heating medium,such as a gas burner 50 is placed beneath the heating member and rests upon the bottom plate 17.

. sealed is a loaf of bread inclosed in a suitablev Having now described the details of my invention Twill proceed to describe its 0 eration. Assuming that the article to t:

paraffin wrapper, it is then placed between the side walls 47 and 47* of the guide and moved between the side walls 11 and 11 by hand or any other suitable means. By unscrewing the wing nuts the bases 7 and 8 carrying their respective sections are free to be moved to or from each other. If the length of the article to be sealed is greater or less than the distance between the side walls 11 and 11 by operating hand wheels 24 the bases 7 and 8 are spread or brought together until the side walls are brought into position so as to press slightly against the ends of the article to be sealed. The proper adjustment having then been obtained, the wing nuts are tightened. Heat is then applied to the underside of the heating mem ber thereby heating the base and side walls and the heated air passes between the double walls and out throu h the openings 46 and 46*, insuring a circu ation of the heated air and uniformity as to its distribution over the surface to be heated.

It is to be noted that irrespective of the particular adjustment of the side walls, one end of the heating chamber in which the heating element 50 is inclosed, always prevents the escape of hot air therefrom by rea son of the sliding engagement between the end pieces. The article and wrapper to be sealed is then caused to pass between the side walls 11 and 11 and the heat from the side walls and the heating plate 18 melts the paraffin in the wrapper. If the side walls of the cooling memberconsisted of smooth and uninterrupted surfaces, or merely a continuation of the surfaces cbmposing the heating member, then as the article passed fi'om the heating member to the cooling member the melted paraifin would be deposited upon the cooling member and in cooling would cause the overlapped sections of the wrapper, where adhesion is desired, to be separated on account of the large frictional surface i that a continuous cooling member without corrugations would afford. By causing the wrapped article in a heated state to pass from a heatingmember, as herein itself affords such a complete circulation of air that cooling is effected in a very few seconds. The cooling is also aided by reason of the fact that the cooling member is composed of a material which is less conductive of heatthan the heating member.

It will be readily seen from the foregoing description that I have embodied in a single device not only means for efiectively accomplishing the principal object forwhich said 139 device is intended, namely, for the sealing of the overlapping sections of wrappers about an article, but I have further devised means of adjustment which in no way impairs the efficiency of the device, either as to its heating or cooling eifects.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A wrapper sealing machine comprising a two-part frame, a heating member and a cooling member, each comprising bottom and side walls, mounted on said frame, substantially one-half of each member being carried by one part of said frame and means for efl'ecting relative lateral movement between the two parts of said f'ame whereby the margin between the side walls of said heating and cooling members is increased or decr eased.

2. A wrapper sealing machine comprising a hvo-section guide member, a two-section heating member and a two-section cooling member, a pair of frame members each carrying one section of said guide, heating and cooling members and means for moving one of said frame members relative to the other frame member.

PAUL R. COLVIN.

\Vitnesses JOHN PETER Smrrn, FRANK HUMPHREY. 

